Does tha' think this will ever catch on lad
18 June 2015 | Atlantic Ocean
One day to go, and Keith asked one of his many rhetorical questions in a reflective moment after 4 weeks at sea together: "Does tha' think this will ever catch on lad?". Of course he is referring to the business of trans-ocean sailing. Of course the answer has to be no, so why do we do it?
We have been crossing the Atlantic with the coast of Portugal nearly in view, for nearly 6 weeks altogether, an impossibly inefficient process of getting here. After all flights leave between the U.S. And Portugal everyday. We could have taken a long vacation to have visited the Azores and Bermuda and seen more than we managed this trip. We could have enjoyed more predictable sailing taking in the grandeur of the Chesapeake Bay or New England Coast together. Only Columbus was the first to "do it". That is sail across the Atlantic.
Yet, I am incredibly excited about having completed the trip. The vast wilderness of the ocean. Testing conditions and overcoming adversity. The incredible sights of seeing the Dolphins, whales and turtles in the middle of the ocean. Even the preliminary challenge of procuring the boat, testing her out with friends and family in the Bahamas this last winter.
A complex bundle of emotion as we come into view of our objective, that may become crystallized after the event, though I am not sure.
Does tha' think this will ever catch on lad? Not for many people, but for those that do, an incredibly indelible memory. I love it!